Simulated tiki furniture and method of making same

ABSTRACT

Simulated tiki décor including furniture and the method of molding the décor are provided. The molded simulated tiki décor has at least one decorative tiki god face and tree trunk appearance on a surface thereof. The furniture has a substantially cylindrical body upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face and tree trunk appearance on an outer peripheral surface. The substantially cylindrical body has a substantially flat top surface to support an object and/or a person. The simulated tiki décor including the furniture not only looks real and very much like an actual wood tiki but it is also very durable being molded with concrete or the like. The simulated tiki furniture may be made in multiples using the same mold.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to outdoor furniture. More specifically, this invention relates to simulated tiki outdoor furniture.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In Polynesian mythology, a tiki is a kind of sculpture which results in a carving in the shape of a god. They each house a spirit. The creation of tikis is known from all over Polynesia. Tikis are spiritual figures which use their big, scary mouths and menacing expressions to frighten away evil. Their headdresses vary and have different meanings according to the shape.

Tiki décor is popular, particularly in outdoor settings to evoke the tropics and all that entails: rest and relaxation, cool breezes and tall drinks. Tiki décor calls to mind an island vacation, one to be taken home and enjoyed throughout the year. Tiki masks and statues have been available. These tiki décor pieces have traditionally been carved out of wood as novelty items.

Despite the increased popularity of tiki décor and a casual outdoor lifestyle, the availability of tiki furniture has been largely nonexistent as wood tiki products left outdoors deteriorate over time due to exposure to the elements such as rain and heat. In addition, wood tikis cannot be immersed in or substantially exposed to water, thereby limiting their use around pools. Also, the cost of labor and expense of obtaining trees, particularly large trees, and carving them has limited the availability of a variety of sizes and types of tiki products. In addition, their nonuniformity and instability on substantially level surfaces (due to the nature of wood in its natural state) has made them less than ideal for furniture such as tables and stools.

Accordingly, there has been a need for novel simulated tiki furniture which is durable, of simplified and inexpensive manufacture, which may be used in or around water, substantially resistant to weathering and captures the tiki god expressions and the wood appearance of a wood tiki. Such simulated tiki furniture is also needed which is substantially uniform, stable on level surfaces, able to be replicated, and that may support an object and/or a person. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The simulated tiki furniture comprises, generally, a molded substantially cylindrical body upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face and wood appearance on a peripheral wall surface thereof, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has a substantially flat top surface dimensioned to support at least one of an object and a person.

The at least one decorative tiki god face and wood appearance on the surface of the molded body are accomplished by a molding process comprising the steps of creating and using a mold to consistently manufacture the simulated tiki furniture.

Creation of Mold From a Wood Tiki

A liquid mold rubber may be poured into the space between the wood tiki and a form liner. The compound hardens (cures) into a flexible mold. After curing, the form liner is removed and the mold peeled off the wood tiki. One surface of the mold is complementary to and corresponds to the bark and decorative face surfaces of the wood tiki. The mold may be reused to make replicas of the molded simulated tiki furniture as hereinafter described.

Using Mold to Create Simulated Tiki Furniture

Concrete or other filler material may be poured into the mold. Once the concrete material has hardened into a solid substantially cylindrical body having at least one decorative tiki face and bark appearance, the molded simulated tiki may be removed from the mold.

In another embodiment, hollow simulated tiki furniture may be made using a bulkhead in combination with the mold. The concrete or other filler material may be poured between the bulkhead and the mold and the bulkhead removed once the filler material has hardened to create a molded tiki having a hollow central core or center about which there is a cylindrical body molded of concrete and upon which there is the decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on at least one surface thereof.

In another embodiment, a tiki décor article having at least one decorative face and bark appearance on a surface thereof may be provided. The tiki décor article may have a substantially planar surface.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary wood tiki;

FIG. 2 is a perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of wrapping the exemplary wood tiki with a form liner;

FIG. 3 is a further perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of pouring liquid rubber into the space between the exemplary wood tiki and the form liner to form a mold;

FIG. 4 is a further perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of removing the form liner from around the mold;

FIG. 5 is a further perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of peeling the mold away from the exemplary wood tiki;

FIG. 6 is a further perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of removing the exemplary wood tiki from the mold;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the mold created by the steps shown in FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of pouring concrete into a hollow center of the mold;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view, illustrating hardened concrete within the mold;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the inside of the mold of FIG. 7, illustrating in dotted lines an exemplary decorative tiki god face on the inside of the tiki mold;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an exemplary concrete tiki stool embodying the invention, illustrating the step of removing the exemplary concrete tiki stool embodying the invention from the mold;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the exemplary simulated tiki stool made from the steps illustrated in FIGS. 1-10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an exemplary tiki table embodying the invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another exemplary tiki table embodying the invention with a palapa;

FIG. 14 is a perspective assembly view of another embodiment, illustrating the step of inserting a bulkhead into the hollow interior of the mold;

FIG. 15 is a further perspective manufacturing view, illustrating the step of pouring concrete between the bulkhead and the mold;

FIG. 16 is an assembly view, illustrating removal of a hollow tiki from the mold of FIG. 15 and removal of the bulkhead from the center of the hollow tiki;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another embodiment, illustrating a tiki décor article; and

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of a method for molding simulated tiki furniture, according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is concerned with simulated tiki furniture, generally designated in the accompanying drawings by the reference number 10. The simulated tiki furniture 10 comprises, generally, a molded substantially cylindrical body 12 upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face 14 and wood appearance 16 on a peripheral wall surface 18 thereof, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has a substantially flat top surface 20 dimensioned to support at least one of an object and a person. The simulated tiki furniture may also have a substantially flat bottom surface 22 for stability on level surfaces, although it is to be appreciated that the grading of the bottom surface of simulated cast in place furniture may be dependent on the surface where the furniture is cast. The at least one decorative tiki god face 14 and wood appearance 16 are accomplished by means of a molding process as hereinafter described.

In accordance with the present invention, and as illustrated with respect to a preferred embodiment in FIGS. 1 through 14, the simulated tiki furniture may be a stool 10 a, table 10 b, firepit, fountain, planter or the like.

The molded substantially cylindrical body 12 may have an inverted tapered configuration to assist its removal from a mold. The decorative tiki god face shown in FIGS. 1-17 is exemplary. The tiki god face may be replicated from a commercially available wood tiki or the tiki god face may be an original carving. Although one decorative tiki god face 14 on the peripheral surface is shown, it is to be appreciated that the molded substantially cylindrical body may have a plurality of decorative tiki god faces. The wood appearance may be minimal or significant depending on the bark detail on the tree from which the wood tiki is made and the mold prepared as hereinafter described.

The simulated tiki furniture 10 may be molded of concrete. The concrete may be standard concrete, lightweight concrete, rubberized concrete or a combination thereof. Lightweight and rubberized concrete may be made to lower the weight of the furniture. Standard concrete may be used where substantially permanent, immoveable furniture may be desired. For example, in a public setting, solid concrete tiki furniture may be desired to help prevent its theft.

It is also to be understood that the simulated tiki furniture may be molded from filler materials other than concrete. For example, some or all of the concrete may be replaced by foam, lightweight cement, gypsum, plastic, fiberglass, a combination thereof or the like.

The furniture may be a stool 10 a (FIG. 11), a table 10 b (FIG. 12), a fountain (not shown), firepit (not shown), or the like to support at least one of an object and a person. The table 10 b may be used as a table base to support an object such as a tabletop 24 as shown in FIG. 13. The tabletop may be mounted on the table base by known methods.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the table 10 b and tabletop 24 may include an opening 26 for securing an umbrella (not shown) or palapa 28 (FIG. 13) which is a thatched umbrella made up typically of dried palm leaves. The opening may be formed by known molding methods.

The molding process is also provided and comprises, generally, the steps of creating and using a mold to consistently manufacture the simulated tiki furniture as illustrated by the flow diagram in FIG. 18. There has been selected for purposes of illustration the making of a simulated tiki stool 10 a (FIG. 11).

Creation of Mold (FIGS. 1-7)

A mold 100 of a wood tiki 102 is first made. The wood tiki (FIG. 1) may be commercially available or one carved from an actual section of tree trunk (a wood plug) may be used. The wood plug may be carved with the at least one tiki god face on the outer peripheral wall surface. The wood plug is preferably obtained from a tree with soft wood to make carving easier, for example, from a palm tree. For larger furniture pieces, a wood plug from a large canary palm or the like may be used.

A first release agent (not shown) may then be applied to the surface of the wood tiki 102. Releasing agents are generally known in the art. The release agent is preferably non-staining. A suitable release agent includes, but is not limited to, xylene, Vaseline® petroleum jelly or the like.

A form liner 104 (FIG. 2) may be wrapped along the outer circumference of the wood tiki. The form liner should be spaced a minimum of about one inch away from the wood tiki to represent the thickness of the mold. The preferred form liner may be a Sonotube® round concrete form available in various sizes from Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C.

A liquid mold rubber 106 may be poured into the space between the wood tiki 102 and the form liner 104 (FIG. 3). A suitable liquid rubber may be prepared by mixing Poly 75 RTV (Part A) with Poly 75 (Part B) both available from Polytek Development Corp., Easton, Pa. in a 50:50 ratio. The compound hardens (cures) into a flexible mold. After curing, the form liner 104 is removed (FIG. 4) and the mold 100 peeled off the wood tiki 102 (FIG. 5). A slit 108 in the top edge portion of the mold may be cut and removed to permit peeling of the mold off the wood tiki (See FIG. 6). The wood tiki may be discarded for later use or disposal (FIG. 6). The mold 100 (FIG. 7) is ready to be used to manufacture the simulated tiki furniture. One surface of the mold is complementary to and corresponds to the bark and decorative face surfaces of the wood tiki as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 5. The mold (FIG. 7) may be reused to make replicas of the molded simulated tiki furniture as hereinafter described. This may be particularly advantageous if a set of furniture pieces is desired. For example, a set of stools may be desired.

Using Mold to Create Simulated Tiki Furniture (FIGS. 8-10)

A second release agent (not shown) may be applied to the mold so as to permit substantially easily removal of the molded simulated tiki furniture from the mold. A suitable release agent to apply to the mold includes, but is not limited to, Polease 2650 available from Polytek.

In a first embodiment, the mold 100 may be wrapped around its outer circumference with a second form liner (not shown). The form liner holds the mold together and protects the mold under pressure from the concrete or other filler material to be molded. The form liner also helps keep the molded piece uniform. Other known methods of holding the mold together, such as banding or the like, may be used.

Concrete or other filler material 110 may be poured into the mold (FIG. 8). Once the concrete material has hardened (FIG. 9) into a solid substantially cylindrical body having at least one decorative tiki face and bark appearance, the molded simulated tiki may be removed from the mold 100 (FIG. 10) The second form liner (not shown) may be removed from the mold. The resultant molded simulated tiki may be painted for additional protection and to further simulate wood. It may be painted with a very durable epoxy coating of lasting finish.

The table (FIG. 12) may be created in the same manner starting with a wood tiki having the desired circumference of the table.

In another embodiment as shown in FIGS. 14-16, hollow simulated tiki furniture may be made. As is known in the art, a bulkhead 202 may be used. The bulkhead may be inserted into the hollow center of the mold 100. The concrete or other filler material 110 may be poured between the bulkhead and the mold and the bulkhead removed once the filler material has hardened to create a molded tiki having a hollow central core or center about which there is a cylindrical body molded of concrete and upon which there is the decorative tiki god face 14 and bark appearance on at least one surface thereof. The bulkhead may be concrete, metal, etc. as is known in the art. The molded tiki furniture having a hollow central core may be suitable for planters, firepits, tables or the like. If necessary, the hollow molded tiki furniture 200 may be weighted down by sand or the like.

Although this process has been described for use in making simulated tiki furniture, it is to be appreciated that other simulated tiki décor articles are covered according to the invention. Such simulated tiki décor articles include, but are not limited to, figurines, wall hangings, etc. that have a molded body upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face and tree trunk appearance on a surface thereof. The molded body may be substantially planar or have a curvature. The mold for the molded body may be originally made from one surface of the wood tiki or the mold made by the above-described method may be cut to make a secondary mold for the simulated tiki décor article. An exemplary simulated tiki décor article 300 is shown in FIG. 17.

From the foregoing, it is to be appreciated that the simulated tiki furniture not only looks real and very much like actual wood tiki but it is also very durable being molded with concrete or the like. In addition, the simulated tiki furniture may be made inexpensively in multiples using the same mold. This enables consumers to obtain multiple substantially identical stools or the like to complete a set.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims. 

1. Simulated tiki furniture comprising: a molded substantially cylindrical body upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on an outer peripheral wall surface thereof.
 2. The simulated tiki furniture of claim 1, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has a substantially flat top surface dimensioned to support at least one of an object and a person.
 3. The simulated tiki furniture of claim 1, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has an inverted tapered configuration.
 4. The simulated tiki furniture of claim 1, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body is molded from concrete.
 5. The simulated tiki furniture of claim 1, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has a hollow central core.
 6. The simulated tiki furniture of claim 1, wherein the simulated tiki furniture is selected from the group consisting of a table, stool, fountain, planter, and firepit.
 7. Simulated tiki décor article comprising: a molded body upon which there is at least one decorative tiki god face and tree trunk appearance on an surface thereof.
 8. The simulated tiki décor article of claim 7, wherein the molded body is substantially cylindrical and the at least one decorative tiki god face and tree trunk appearance are on an outer peripheral wall surface thereof.
 9. A method of making molded simulated tiki décor article, comprising the steps of: pouring filler material into a mold of a wood tiki, the mold having an inner surface complementary to and corresponding to decorative tiki god face and bark surfaces of the wood tiki; curing the filler material; removing the mold from the molded simulated tiki décor article; wherein the molded simulated tiki décor article has at least one decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on a surface thereof.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the filler material is concrete.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the molded simulated tiki décor article comprises furniture and has a substantially cylindrical body upon which there is the at least one decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on an outer peripheral wall surface thereof.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the substantially cylindrical body has an inverted tapered configuration.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the substantially cylindrical body has a substantially flat top surface dimensioned to support at least one of an object and a person.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of inserting a bulkhead into the mold and pouring filler material between the mold and the bulkhead to make molded simulated tiki furniture with a hollow central core.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the mold of the wood tiki is made by the steps of: Supporting the wood tiki having the decorative tiki god face and bark surfaces; Wrapping a support around the wood tiki; Pouring rubber in the space between the support and the wood tiki to make a mold where an inner surface of the mold is complementary and corresponds to the decorative tiki god face and bark surfaces of the wood tiki; and Removing the mold after curing of the rubber.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mold is substantially cylindrical.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the mold is substantially planar.
 18. A method of making molded simulated tiki decor, comprising the steps of: Making a mold of a wood tiki; and Using the mold to make a molded body having at least one decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on a surface thereof.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the molded body is a substantially cylindrical body molded of concrete with the at least one decorative tiki god face and bark appearance on an outer peripheral surface.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the molded substantially cylindrical body has a hollow central core. 